Rainbow's weather radar to fill a hole in the network

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Farmers say a new radar in the north-west Victorian town of Rainbow will fill a gaping hole in the country's weather radar network.

After years of campaigning, and two-and-a-half-years after the initial funding announcement from State and Federal governments, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) revealed the slated location for the German-made doppler radar.

The region is known as a 'black hole' for weather data because it relies on weather stations interstate and hundreds of kilometres north in Mildura, and farmers say the data is virtually useless.

As a result, growers in one of the state's most productive farming regions have been depending on 'gut feel' when making decisions worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Counting on weather forecasting

The current information deficit makes it almost impossible for farmers to plan to weather conditions.

Without accurate data, farmers do not know when to expect rain, which they rely on to activate expensive fertiliser.

Wimmera farmer John Bennett said the future of farming will rely on technology.